


Albuquerque

by sajeki (dajaje)



Series: It's All Good, Man [1]
Category: Better Call Saul (TV), Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst and Humor, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Episode: s05e16 Felina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 07:31:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7835755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dajaje/pseuds/sajeki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saul Goodman, Jesse Pinkman and Kim Wexler meet up in Albuquerque after the death of Heisenberg and try to put their lives back together again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Albuquerque

 

Brandon Mayhew, A.K.A. Badger to his friends, walked into his small living room carrying a six pack of beer and an unopened bag of Doritos.

“This should hold us til the pizza gets here.”

“Damn, bitch, have you seen this shit?” “Skinny” Pete asked from where he was perched on the edge of the sofa cushion, his eyes glued to the TV screen.

Badger frowned as he looked at the TV, his eyes widening when he saw the name Heisenberg flash across the scene. He sank down next to Pete on the sofa, transfixed. “What up?”

“They found Heisenberg’s body and a bunch’a other dead people at some meth lab outside’a town.”

Badger’s brow furrowed deeper. “That looks like that creepy zombie apocalypse place out by Los Ranchos.”

Pete shivered involuntarily as he watched the story unfold.

“We’re now going to return to the scene of the mass murder at the Jack Welker compound. Lindsay? Do you have anything new?”

A pretty blonde held up her microphone and replied, “Yes, Monica, I do. Further investigation has turned up what appears to be evidence of a car fleeing the scene, since the gate was broken out from the inside. The police are now looking for who they are calling a person of interest who may have witnessed this horrible crime.”

Pete looked at Badger. “You don’t think Jesse was there?”

Badger blew out his breath and shrugged. “I dunno. Somebody was cookin’ Blue Sky, and if it wasn’t Heisenberg...”

Pete slumped back into the sofa. “Damn, bro, one’a those bodies could be Jesse.”

Badger considered that and then lifted one finger. “Unless…” Off Pete’s questioning look, he added, “Unless he was the one that got away.”

Pete straightened up. “Church, yo. That bitch got more lives than a cat.” He held up one hand.

“Yeah, Jesse!” Badger exclaimed as he slapped his palm against Pete’s. He picked up the remote and flipped the channel, needing to get away from the news. “Let’s play Mortal Kombat.”

Pete picked up a controller. “Where d’you think he is?”

Badger inhaled sharply. “Hope he’s on his way to Alaska.”

0 0 0

After driving aimlessly for almost an hour away from the compound, Jesse Pinkman slowed the car to a stop. Now that the adrenalin from making his escape had faded, he felt a bone-deep weariness settle over himself. _Where should I go?_ He stared out into the small patch of desert illuminated by the headlights. _Where am I_? He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to concentrate. _Who…? Better call Saul!_ A slightly hysterical giggle escaped from Jesse as he forced open his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, Saul’ll know what to do.”

Jesse eased his foot off the brake and slowly accelerated, looking for any surface street that could get him to Albuquerque.

0 0 0

Kim Wexler absently towel dried her hair with one hand while looking through her small collection of nail polishes, opting for a bottle that contained a light blush shade. She continued to towel her hair as she carried the small bottle into her bedroom and settled on the edge of her bed. She shook the polish with one hand and absently picked up the TV remote with the other, mentally going over all of the things she needed to have done before her early meeting in the morning.

The picture came up to reveal a good-looking Hispanic man holding a mic in front of a fenced-off area swarming with police and their vehicles.

“… Los Ranchos has been closed off during the continuing investigation. Again, A.P.D. responded to a shots fired call at around 10:15 this evening and discovered multiple bodies, including one they believe to be Walter White, A.K.A. Heisenberg, a noted local meth kingpin. Police are also looking for a person of interest who escaped the scene by car.” He paused and put a finger to his ear. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.” He frowned, then replied, “Details are coming in slowly since the police have only been on-scene for an hour. From the looks of things, it’s going to be a while before they’ll have any sort of official statement for us.” He smiled into the camera. “This is Jorge Sanchez, returning you to the studio.”

The camera now showed a man and a woman sitting at a desk in front of a green screen depicting downtown Albuquerque.

“Thank you, Jorge,” the pretty redheaded woman said. She turned to the handsome blond man beside her. “We’ve learned that the compound out on Los Ranchos has been under investigation for several years as the suspected home of a white supremacist gang, led by Jack Welker, who A.P.D. suspects is one of the victims.”

The blond shook his head. “Bad stuff.” He turned his attention to the camera. “We’ll continue to bring you updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, let’s go to weather. Randi, when is fall going to get here?”

Kim clicked off the TV and placed the forgotten nail polish onto her night stand as she slumped against her pillows, feeling slightly stunned. _Heisenberg is dead? What's going to happen now? Will Jimmy get in touch? Surely this is news in Omaha too? Should I call him?_

Tears sprung to her eyes when she remembered the last time she had spoken to Jimmy, right after he had settled in Omaha, and how choked up he had been when he’d told of his last days spent with Walter White and how White had all but admitted that he had killed Jesse.

It was what they had all feared once it became apparent that Walter While was a psychopath who wasn’t going to let anything or anyone stand in his way of building his empire. It was why Jimmy and Jesse had both insisted that they all go their separate ways, and that they especially wanted to make sure that White never knew Kim even existed, let alone that she was romantically involved with both Jimmy and Jesse.

She had fought them at first, then finally relented when she saw how the stress of everything was tearing her two lovers apart.

She forced the unpleasant thoughts from her mind as she settled into bed. Knowing she was too keyed up to sleep, she turned the TV on and began thumbing through the stations, hoping to find out more details on the Heisenberg story.

0 0 0

Jesse pulled the car into the parking lot and stared at the deserted strip mall, feeling his already-weak composure start to slip. He was sure this was the right place, but where was Lady Liberty? He swiped at the tears filling his eyes as he stumbled out of the car and up to the door of what once housed Saul Goodman and Associates. He pressed his face against the dirty glass and squinted into the darkness inside.

It was empty.

Letting despair finally overwhelm him, Jesse turned and slid down the door into a miserable heap before breaking down in to wracking sobs.

0 0 0

_“Stop fidgeting. You’re making me get it all over your toes.”_

_“I don’t know why you gotta paint my toenails anyway,” Jesse grumbled as he steadied his feet, looking down at the bright color with consternation. “You know this’ll get my ass kicked if any’a my crew sees it.”_

_Kim paused, leveling Jesse with a pointed look. “You mean Badger or Skinny Pete.”_ _She softened when she saw the younger man pout. “Oh, sweetie, I’m not making fun of you.” She smiled sheepishly when bright blue eyes glared at her. “Okay, maybe I am. But just a little.” She returned her attention to the young man’s feet. “The reason we are doing this is because it is a very intimate moment between a man and a woman.” She smiled up into Jesse’s confused expression. “And I think you and I need a little more intimacy.”_

_“Intimate, huh?” Jesse smirked. “Come on over to the bed and I’ll give you all’a the intimacy you’ll ever need. Ow!” He grimaced when Kim whacked him on the leg._

_“You see? That’s the problem with young men; they think sex is the only way to have intimacy.”_

_“You gotta admit it’s an oldie but a goodie,” Saul interjected as he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his middle._

_“Not helping, Jimmy,” Kim muttered, ignoring Jesse’s snicker._

_Saul paused to look at Jesse’s feet. “Red Eye, huh?” He shrugged at the others’ questioning looks. “I just always pictured you as more of a Pink Up kinda guy.” He_ _spluttered and stepped back and Kim burst out giggling when Jesse reached up and pulled the towel off of Saul, leaving the older man naked._

_“Now who’s pinkin’ up, bitch?” Jesse crowed before throwing the towel at Saul and joining Kim in a fit of laughter._

Kim slowly blinked open her eyes. Seeing it was still only 5:06, she rolled over and went back to sleep.

0 0 0

Jesse pulled into the parking lot of the Crossroads Motel and looked around, feeling somewhat comforted by the fact that the place looked exactly like it had the last time he had been there. He pushed open the door and forced himself to get out. He began sluggishly walking toward the building when he stopped. He returned to the car and opened the passenger door. Reaching in, he grabbed the straps of a leather satchel and hefted it up, grunting at the weight. Closing the door, he walked to the stairs and slowly made his way up them.

When he found the door he was looking for, he gently tapped his knuckles against it. He was ready to knock again when the door suddenly opened, causing Jesse to flinch and step back.

“Well, hey, sugar,” a tall, beautiful black woman greeted.

Jesse swallowed. “Uh, I’m, uh, lookin’ for Wendy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know anyone named Wendy.”

“But this is her room.”

“Sugar, I’ve been in this room for over eight months now. When was the last time you saw Wendy?”

Jesse scrunched up his face as he tried to think. _Jesus, had it been when he had gotten busted?_ He shook his head, unable to concentrate long enough to remember. “Uh, yeah, I guess it has been a while.”

Sizing up the young man, the tall woman smiled. “I know I ain’t Wendy, but is there anything I can do for you, sugar?”

Jesse looked into kind, dark eyes and felt himself start to crumble. “I… I just don’t know what to do.”

“Oh, well, don’t cry, sugar.” She stood aside and waved him in. “Come on in here and we’ll figure something out together, okay?” Once Jesse was inside, she closed the door and turned her attention to him. “Oh lordy, where are my manners? My name is Augustine de la Croix, but all of my friends call me Tina.”

Jesse looked down at the hand that was offered to him, then shook it. “Yo, my name’s… Diesel.”

“Well, Diesel, it looks like you might want to shower first?”

Jesse looked down at himself and realized he was still in the filthy clothes he had escaped in. “Uh, yeah, that’d be awesome. But I ain’t got nothin’ clean…”

Tina waved him off as she went to the small closet and opened it to reveal it was jammed full of clothing. “Don’t you worry about that, sugar, I’m sure I have a robe in here you can put on until we can get those washed.” She extracted something in blue satin and held it up. “This’ll bring out the blue in those beautiful eyes of yours.” When Jesse dropped his gaze, she sighed. “Oh lordy, beautiful and shy. Mm, mm, mm.” She handed him the robe. “Go help yourself, sugar. There’s shower gel and shampoo in the shower and a clean towel hangin’ on the back of the door.” She watched him walk towards the bathroom. “Call me if you need a hand, okay?”

Jesse shot her a startled look. “No, uh, no, I’m good. Thanks.”

As the young man hurried into the bathroom and closed and locked the door, Tina giggled softly and went to straighten up the room a bit. Noticing Diesel’s satchel in the middle of the floor, she went to move it, her eyes widening in surprise when she noticed how heavy it was. “Oh lordy, I hope that ain’t no body parts in there,” she muttered as she moved it next to the dresser, shaking off the morbid thought as she went to brush the wrinkles out of the bed covers.

0 0 0

Gene Taylor, A.K.A. Saul Goodman, A.K.A. Jimmy McGill, waited impatiently for his cheap coffee maker to complete its job, _Good Morning Nebraska_ droning quietly in the background.

“Finally.” He pulled the carafe from the maker and filled his “World’s 2nd Greatest Lawyer” mug. Replacing the carafe, he picked up his mug and plate of toast and carried them into the living room where he carefully placed everything onto the coffee table before sitting in his recliner.

Gene stared at the TV, barely registering _Melinda’s Garden Moment_ as he absently ate his toast and drank his coffee, his mind going over the shift schedule for the coming week: _Debi needs Saturday off, so I’ll see if Cindi can cover it. Oh, shit, Cindi’s out of town til Sunday. Maybe Billy?_ He rubbed his forehead. _Maybe I can just kill myself and not have to worry about who’s covering the store_. Groaning, he picked up the remote and shut off the TV just as the host said,

“In national news, more on the breaking Heisen…”

“Shit!” Gene hit the power button again, motioning for the TV to hurry up, sitting forward in his seat in anticipation.

“…to ABC correspondent Margo Lewis in Albuquerque. Margo?”

“Yes, Brianna, I’m here outside what the local officials are calling the Jack Welker compound where, last night, local authorities responded to a shots fired call. When they arrived on scene, they discovered the body of Walter White, the notorious meth kingpin known as Heisenberg. White was dead inside what police describe as a large methamphetamine manufacturing lab. Across the compound, the bodies of Jack Welker, a known white supremacist, and several of his associates were found, the victims of a machine gun that was hidden in the trunk of that car.” The tall redhead pointed to the remains of a sedan parked in front of a building containing multiple large bore bullet holes.

The camera panned back to show Margo again. “Police are looking for someone they believe escaped last night in a black 1978 Chevy El Camino belonging to Todd Alquist, one of the victims. The investigation is still on-going and we’ll update you as we find out more. Back to you, Brianna.”

Gene turned the TV off as it returned to the local station. _Jesus, was Walt finally dead?_ He sat back in his chair. _Was is over? Was he finally going to be able to dump this pathetic existence and go back to his old life?_

Pulling his phone from his pants pocket, he quickly punched in the number for the Cinnabon regional manager. When it went to voice mail, he said, “This is Gene Taylor at Store 102. A family emergency has just come up and I have to leave town for a few days. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything more.”

He thought for a moment, then stood and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He picked up his dirty dishes and placed them into the sink before going to get on the computer, his mind busily trying to form a coherent plan.

0 0 0

Kim kept a pleasant smile on her face despite the nasty headache she felt throbbing in her temples. Early morning meetings were always trying, but this one was almost unbearable. _We’re almost done_ , she reminded herself, looking around the conference room at the other attorneys present. She straightened slightly and turned a questioning gaze towards Howard Hamlin when she heard him call her name.

“Are we waiting for any other documentation?”

“No,” Kim replied, absently fingering the large stack of papers in front of her. “Three clients without beneficiaries have passed away since we started the case.”

“Which is an unfortunate outcome when dealing with class action suits involving the elderly,” Cliff Main added, casting his gaze about to see the others nodding in assent.

“Then I guess we are ready to wrap this up and turn all of the paperwork over to the court.” Howard took a deep breath. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, aside from the pay-out, it looks like we’ve finally come to the end of the Sandpiper case.” He smiled. “Well done, everyone! I have two lovely bottles of Krug Clos d’Ambonnay chilling in my office.”

Kim ignored the happy exclamations of the others as she wistfully smiled, her thoughts turning to the man responsible for putting the original case together. _Too bad Jimmy isn’t here to see this. He worked so hard on it._

She pushed her thoughts aside when everyone began to stand. She stood and waited until she could approach Howard before quietly saying, “I have to stop by my office for a minute.”

Howard regarded her with a questioning look. “Problems?”

“No,” Kim quickly reassured, plastering on a smile. “I just need to grab an Advil. Late night last night.”

“Good, then I’ll see you in my office in a few.”

Kim nodded. “Absolutely.” She waited until everyone left, then hurried to her office and sat in her chair. Grabbing up her cell, she opened it and checked for messages, frowning when there were none. “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.” She patted her leg and wondered what to do, humming when she had a thought. “How many Cinnabons can there be in Omaha?”

0 0 0

Albuquerque Police Department Detective Tim Roberts exhaled sharply and scratched his head as he looked at the ever-increasing mountain of evidence piling up on the Heisenberg case. Although this was technically under the D.E.A.’s jurisdiction, the Albuquerque PD was knee-deep in the action as they tried to establish just what had happened at the Neo-Nazi compound the previous night.

“Hey, Tim? You got a minute?”

Tim walked over to where Detective Kalanchoe was standing.

“What’s up?”

Kalanchoe held up a cellphone. “This is the phone we found laying out in the middle of the compound.”

“And?”

“And I think we might have a pic of our P.O.I.”

Tim stepped closer and squinted at the small screen. “Damn.”

“Yeah, poor bastard definitely got worked over.”

Tim leaned closer. “He looks familiar.” He shrugged at the other man’s questioning look. “If you cleaned off the blood and fixed his right eye, I think I could I.D. him.”

Kalanchoe snorted. “How about I just do this?” He flipped through the photos until he found the one he was looking for and showed it to the other detective.

“Son of a bitch,” Tim breathed. “Jesse Pinkman.”

0 0 0

Saul ran a hand through his thinning hair as he paced around the airport, trying to decide if a cigarette or a drink would be better to calm his jangled nerves. “Alcohol. Definitely alcohol,” he decided as he went in search of the nearest bar after checking his watch to make sure he had time before he had to board.

Ducking into a tiny nook, he plopped down on a barstool and looked at the bartender. “Scotch. Make it a double.”

“Don’t like flying?” the older man behind the bar asked as he set a glass in front of Saul before filling it with amber liquid.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Seeing that his customer wasn’t interested in small talk, the bartender went back to the other end of the bar and began wiping it down.

Saul lifted the glass and swirled the liquid before raising it to his lips. He was about to take a long swig, then almost dropped the glass when his phone rang. Setting the drink on the bar, he flipped open the phone and hit ‘accept’ before lifting the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Jimmy?”

“Kim! Did you hear the news?” Saul glanced up when a large man sat down on the stool next to him. Frowning, he told Kim, “Hold on a sec.” He quickly downed his drink, pulled a $10 bill from his pocket and placed it on the bar before getting up and going back out into the crowded concourse. Finding a quiet spot near an empty gate, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Can you believe that asshole finally died? Jesus, took him long enough.”

“So, what…?”

“I’m in Dallas,” Saul interrupted, “because, evidently, there are no direct flights between Omaha and Albuquerque.” He snorted. “I mean, it’s only 2010…”

“You’re coming here?” Kim interjected. “Do you think that’s a good idea? The place is swarming with cops and the media.”

Saul waved off the idea. “Cops and media I can handle. There was only one reason I got the hell outta Dodge and now he’s dead.” He paused, then continued, “I’ve already been sending feelers out, you know, trying to get an idea of what’s been happening since I left? So far it looks like ol’ Saul never was that far onto anyone’s radar. Especially not enough to bring any charges against me.”

Kim frowned. “So what? You figure you’re just going to come back and pick up where you left off?”

“Well, yeah.” Saul pursed his lips. “I thought you’d be happy to see me again.”

“Oh, Jimmy, I am!” Kim rubbed her forehead and blew out her breath. “Look, I’m sorry. This whole thing has really thrown me, and I didn’t get much sleep last night…”

Saul softened. “Yeah, okay. Look, they’re about to call my flight. I should be in Sunport in a couple of hours, then we can actually sit down and talk face to face.”

“Shall I pick you up?”

“Nah, I’m gonna rent a car so I can run some errands and stuff.”

Kim hesitated. “You are going to call me, right?”

Saul huffed. “Of course! Just as soon as I get in and get my car. We can meet for drinks at the hotel.”

 _Hotel?_ Kim narrowed her eyes. “Okay, then I’ll wait until I hear from you.”

“It’s a date. Gotta go.”

When the line went dead, Kim slowly closed her phone and looked at it. _What the hell?_ She inhaled deeply and released it. _Obviously he’s as shaken up about this as I am; that’s why he’s acting so weird._

Pushing Jimmy from her mind, she got up to go make sure that the couriers were ready to take the last of the Sandpiper documentation over to the courthouse.

0 0 0

_Saul entered the quiet house and dropped his briefcase next to the sofa and kicked off his loafers next to it before slipping out of his suit jacket and draping it over the back of a nearby chair. He sniffed a pleasing aroma wafting from the kitchen, his stomach growling in appreciation._

_He paused and listened. Wondering where Jesse and Kim might be, he began loosening his tie as he ambled back towards the bedroom, slowing to a stop when he got to the open door._

_A goofy smile spread across his face when he saw his two lovers spooned up next to each other sound asleep on top of the covers, Jesse in a pair of his outrageous boxers and Kim in a tank top and shorts. Kid always loves bein the small spoon, he thought as he walked over to the unoccupied side of the bed. Quickly stripping to his underwear, he eased himself onto the mattress behind Kim and molded himself against her back._

_Because he always liked being the big spoon._

Saul jerked awake and inhaled deeply while he looked around trying to get his bearings. _Plane_ , he realized, then he swiped at his face when he felt the wetness there, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed his tears, relaxing when he saw both of his seat neighbors dozing. He raised his hand when he saw a flight attendant coming down the aisle. “Get me a scotch, please.”

0 0 0

Tess Pinkman stifled a yawn as she carefully put her embroidery project away. “I think I’m going to go start lunch.”

Adam Pinkman absently nodded as he closed the newspaper and set in on the side table. “I think I’ll catch the news. I want to see if they have anything new on that Heisenberg case.” He reached for the remote and pointed it at the TV.

“I just cannot believe that nice Mr. White did all of those horrible things. Oh. My. God,” she whispered, her hand going to her mouth when a picture of her son’s old mug shot filled the screen.

“The Albuquerque D.E.A. office has now identified their person of interest in the Heisenberg case as twenty-six-year-old Jesse Bruce Pinkman, a native of Albuquerque and a known associate of Walter White. Pinkman was last seen six months ago with D.E.A. agents Henry Schrader and Steven Gomez, both of whom are reported missing and presumed dead. This is a newer picture of Pinkman, taken from a security feed at the Jack Welker compound where White, Welker and several of Welker’s men were found dead last night.”

“Jesus.” Adam slid his arm around his wife’s shoulders when the distraught woman began sobbing, unable to take his eyes off the TV and the scarred photo of his first-born’s face.

“Officials believe Jesse Pinkman stole a black El Camino belonging to one of the victims, Todd Alquist, and drove it through the fence at the compound, escaping into the desert. It was also disclosed that Pinkman jumped bail from an arrest right before he disappeared last spring. At this time, police are considering Pinkman armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not try to apprehend him. Call A.P.D. at (505) 242-COPS or the local D.E.A. office at (505) 843-STOP. Again, there is a nation-wide A.P.B. out for Jesse Bruce Pinkman in connection with the Heisenberg case.

“Now, let’s go to the sports’ desk to see how the Isotopes did last night against the Sacramento River Cats. Bob?”

Adam clicked off the TV and sighed.

Tess sniffled and asked quietly, “What are we going to do, Adam?”

“Nothing,” Adam decided. “We’re not going to do anything.”

0 0 0

Detective Tim Roberts absently held his hand in front of his mouth as he watched the grainy black and white video play on the wall-mounted screen in the small conference room. He blinked when the screen turned black, then shifted his gaze around the table at the other A.P.D. officers.

There was stunned silence in the room before Lt. Adam Estequez said, “I think it’s safe to assume Mr. Pinkman wasn’t a willing cook in the Welker meth business.”

“Yeah, no shit,” one of the other officers muttered under his breath.

Tim pondered the snippet of security feed they had just watched for a moment. “So, how do you want to handle this, Lieu?”

“Well, as much as I hate to admit it, we’re gonna have to follow the D.E.A.’s lead on this. I know, I know,” he added when the other men groaned. “I’m not happy about it either. I talked to some jerk-off over at their headquarters and he said they’re considering Pinkman as a likely suspect in the murder of their two agents six months ago.”

Tim frowned. “But I thought Pinkman was workin with their guys.”

“That’s what Schrader’s wife insists, but their position right now is that Pinkman led Schrader and Gomez out into the desert to meet up with Heisenberg. Up until now, everyone had assumed Pinkman had been killed with the two agents. But now that we know he didn’t die out there, they feel it just seems a little too coincidental that their two guys are dead and Pinkman and Heisenberg both left the scene alive.”

Tim shrugged. “Guess we won’t know anything for sure until the kid turns up.”

0 0 0

Ernesto Wheeler snatched up the TV remote, then relaxed when he saw Kim enter the mailroom. “Hey, Ms. Wexler.”

“Hey, Ernie.” Kim looked up at the small TV mounted on the wall. “What’s this?”

“It’s a high speed chase,” the young black man explained. “It’s that black El Camino they were looking for from last night.”

Kim shook her head as she and Ernie watched the drama unfold, the speeding black vehicle being followed by several New Mexico State Trooper and Albuquerque Police Department cruisers. “Is that the 40?”

Ernie nodded. “I just don’t understand why people do that. Ain’t like it ever ends in their favor.”

“Maybe they like the attention.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind your attention carrying tasers and shot guns. Holy shit!”

“Oh my god,” Kim breathed out as the black car suddenly seemed to lose control and careened back and forth across the lanes until it swerved off the freeway and flipped over, rolling several times before it burst into flames.

Ernie stared at the screen, mesmerized. “Damn.”

The picture quickly pulled away from the burning car and went to a good-looking brunette sitting in a newsroom looking stunned. “Oh my goodness.” She gathered herself and continued, “That was the live feed from the high speed chase out on the 40. As we stated before, that was the black El Camino that authorities traced back to the Jack Welker compound. The car belonged to one of the victims, Todd Alquist. Police believe the driver to be Jesse Pinkman, who is wanted as a person of interest in the crime.”

Kim’s hand went to her mouth as tears stung her eyes. _God, no!_

Seeing Kim’s consternation, Ernie clicked off the TV and turned to the blonde. “Ms. Wexler?”

Kim swallowed and regained her composure. “Uh, he was a client. A good kid.” She shook her head, then turned and quickly left.

“Did you need anything?” Ernie called out to her retreating back. When there was no response, he turned the TV on again and started watching as he sorted through the latest cart of mail from the post office.

“Poor bastard.”

0 0 0

Saul smiled when he saw Kim enter the hotel bar, standing and waving her over to where he was seated in a small booth. He held open his arms. “Kim, it’s so good to see you.”

“Jimmy.” Kim gave Saul a weak hug.

Saul pulled back and frowned at the blonde. “What’s the matter? You look like you just lost your best friend. Oh, hey!” He froze when Kim tightened her arms around him and began sobbing.

“Jesse’s dead, Jimmy,” Kim forced out between sobs.

Saul looked confused. “Yeah, I know. I told you Walt killed…”

Kim shook her head. “No, he didn’t.” She sniffed loudly and pulled out of Saul’s arms.

Saul reached down onto the table and picked up a napkin, offering it to the distraught blonde. He waved to the bench. “Here, sit down and tell me all about it.”

Kim dabbed at her tear-streaked face as she slid into the booth. “Tequila,” she told the server when a young woman appeared at their table.

“Yeah, make that two,” Saul added as he slid in across from Kim. “Now, what’s this about Jesse?”

Kim took a deep breath. “I don’t know how much of the story you’ve heard, but there was a car that got away from the compound last night.” Saul nodded, so she continued, “The police think it was Jesse. They found his fingerprints all over the meth lab, but they didn’t find his body with the others.”

Saul frowned. “Don’t tell me the kid was cookin…” He paused when their server returned with two filled shot glasses. “Run us a tab. I think we’re gonna be here a while.”

The pretty young woman smiled. “Sure thing.”

Saul waited until the server left, then leaned slightly across the table. “No way was Jesse cooking for those Nazi wannabe assholes.”

Kim shrugged. “I don’t know anything about that. But the police found the car and I guess Jesse…” She shrugged again. “There was a high speed chase and the car crashed and exploded.”

“Fuck,” Saul breathed as he slumped back into his seat. He picked up his drink and downed it in one gulp, then held up his empty glass. “Bring us the bottle,” he told their server. “And make it the good stuff.”

0 0 0

Jesse slowly opened his eyes, a smile playing at his lips when he heard someone humming a lilting tune. After months of living in filth and sleeping in a cement pit, it felt luxurious to wake up clean in a soft bed. Even if it was only the Crystal Palace. Bits and pieces of the previous night flitted through his mind and his smile faded. He slowly sat up and looked around.

Tina continued styling her hair as she smiled into the mirror at Jesse. “Hey, sugar. I was gonna wake you in a bit to see if you wanted some supper.”

Jesse cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah… I could eat.” He looked down at the robe he was still wearing. “I need some clothes too.”

“You don’t have any in your suitcase?” Tina pointed at the satchel with her comb.

Jesse got up and walked to the dresser. He paused a moment, then unzipped the satchel to reveal it was filled with bundles of wrapped cash. He lifted out a bundle and showed it to Tina. “No, but I got some money to buy some.”

Tine closed her mouth with a snap. “Uh, sugar, far be it for me to tell a man how to run his business, but you really shouldn’t be walkin’ around with that much cash money. Especially in this part’a town.” Her eyes widened when Jesse came closer and held the bundle out to her.

“Could you get me some?” Seeing Tina’s hesitation, Jesse added, “It’s not counterfeit or nothin’. You can get you some clothes too. And dinner. Buy dinner for us and whatever else you want. In fact, you can have all’a the money…”

“Just slow down, sugar.” Tina turned to look at Jesse. “I’d be honored to buy you some outfits, but I don’t want your money. I mean, I’ll take some to get your things, but just what it costs.”

Jesse searched the beautiful dark eyes watching him. “Why’re you bein so nice to me?”

Tina smiled softly. “Because someone was nice to me when I was down and out, and I figured it’s time to pay it forward.”

Jesse looked confused. “What does that even mean?”

“It means that when someone does somethin’ nice for you, you repay them by doing somethin’ nice for someone else.”

Jesse pondered the words, then nodded. “Cool.”

Tina stood up and slowly walked around Jesse. “So, small shirt and what? Thirty-inch waist, thirty-two inch inseam?”

“No, extra-large shirt and thirty-six/thirty-six.” Jesse frowned when Tina giggled.

Seeing the young man’s consternation, Tina quieted herself. “Sugar, you are gonna swim in those clothes, but if that’s what you want, that’s what I’ll get.”

Jesse thought a moment, then sighed. “I don’t care. Get whatever you think is good. You got a car?”

“No, I usually take the bus.”

“Well, take my car. It’s the black El Camino outside.”

“Thanks, sugar, that’ll make it quicker.” Tina finished her hair and reached for a brightly colored jacket, taking the keys Jesse offered her. “Any preferences for supper?” When Jesse shrugged helplessly, Tina gently squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll pick us up somethin’ good, okay? Now, why don’t you lay down and take a nap while I’m gone. You look like you could stand a few more days of sleep.”

Jesse nodded. “Thanks.” He watched Tina leave and then went to piss before returning to the bed. He yawned widely and closed his eyes, falling asleep between one breath and the next.

0 0 0

Detective Tim Roberts lightly tapped on his lieutenant’s partially open door. “Got a minute, Lieu?”

Lt. Estequez looked up from paperwork. “Yeah, come on in, Tim. Any word?”

Tim dropped down into one of the chairs in front of Estequez’s desk. “Coroner says it’ll probably be at least a week before they can make a positive I.D., and that’s if there’s enough D.N.A. left to get a good sample.”

Estequez winced slightly at the connotation. “How about dental records?”

“I stopped by the Pinkman’s house. They’re gonna have the family dentist send the kid’s latest x-rays over to the M.E.”

The lieutenant sighed. “I’d give my left nut to know the whole story behind this Heisenberg case. Respected high school teacher gets cancer and decides to cook meth?” He shook his head. “Man, you can’t make shit like that up.”

Tim slowly nodded in agreement. “And, unfortunately, the one person who could’ve filled in the blanks is laying in a freezer drawer in the morgue.”

The lieutenant studied Tim. “You’ve dealt with this Pinkman kid a few times. What’s his story?”

Tim shrugged. “Came from a good family. Became a nickel and dime dealer in high school. Couple of possession busts. Ran with a few rough kids but never got into any serious trouble. Certainly nobody I’d have ever pegged to grow up to become mixed up with a heavy hitter like Heisenberg. Always pictured him outgrowing his rebel-without-a-cause shit and becoming another blue collar stiff.”

Estequez thought for a moment. “Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter now. Have you gotten any updates from the D.E.A.?”

Tim rose. “I was just gonna drop by there. Figure maybe me in person might get better results than me on the phone.”

“Thanks. Give me a holler if they have anything important.”

“Will do.” Tim left the lieutenant’s office, his mind turning over thoughts of Jesse Pinkman as he returned to his desk.

0 0 0

_Jesse smiled as Brock broke away from him to go rushing towards his mom._

_“Mama, look what Jesse got me!” the little boy yelled as he held up a video game._

_“Wow, that was awfully nice of him,” Andrea told her son while watching Jesse with sparkling brown eyes. “Go on inside, little man, and set it up, okay?”_

_“Lemme get the groceries and I’ll be right in,” Jesse said as he turned and walked across the street to his car. He frowned when a dark SUV pulled up and parked behind him. He gasped when the back door opened and Todd stepped out._

_“You shouldn’t have run, Jesse,” the blond said as he walked across the street to where Andrea stood on the porch._

_Jesse tried to move, tried to run after Todd, but it was like his feet were frozen to the ground. He tried to yell “Look out, Andrea!” but nothing came out. He stood helplessly and watched in horror and Todd pulled out a pistol and shot Andrea point blank in the head, the beautiful young woman collapsing like a discarded rag doll onto the porch._

_“Mama! Mama!” Brock scream as he ran out of the house and dropped next to his mother’s body. Another shot rang out and Brock’s body fell across Andrea’s…_

“NOOOO!” Jesse shot up in bed and looked around, gasping for breath. He turned startled eyes to the door when it was pushed open and Tina rushed in.

Tina stopped in her tracks and put a hand to her heart. “Lord a’mercy!” she breathed out. “I thought someone was in here murderin’ you, sugar. I could hear you screamin’ all the way down the hall.” Seeing how agitated Jesse still was, she slowly walked to the bed and sat on the edge. “Nightmare?”

Jesse gave a jerky nod of his head. When he felt calm enough to speak, he said, “Damn, I should’a asked you to get me some smokes.”

“There’s a vendin' machine down by the office. What’s your brand?”

Jesse frowned. “No, you don’t gotta go. I ain’t an invalid.”

“No, but you are only wearin’ a robe,” Tina said with a little smile as she stood. “Besides, I gotta go outside and pick up all’a the bags I dropped when I came dashin’ to your rescue.”

Jesse tried to hide his smile as he climbed out of bed. “Oh!” he startled and turned around when his robe fell open, showing he was naked underneath the satin.

“Don’t worry, sugar, I will avert my eyes.” Tina stifled her giggle as she turned and walked out the door.

After he got his robe closed and belt cinched, Jesse followed Tina outside. “Here, lemme help you with those.” He reached out and took most of the bags Tina held.

Tina batted her eyes at him. “Aw, I knew you were a gentleman, sugar.”

Jesse dropped his gaze as his cheeks reddened. He pulled up short when the door beside him opened up and a tall, skinny Latino guy stepped out.

“Jesse? Is that you, Dude? I ain’t seen you in, like, forever!”

 _Shit!_ “Uh, hey, JoJo. What up?”

JoJo smiled. “Looks like this is my lucky day. You deliverin’? ‘Cause I would love a teenth of your primo product.”

“Sorry, man, but I ain’t got nothin’ for ya, bro.” Jesse began to slowly walk towards Tina’s room, stopping and clenching his teeth when one of JoJo’s hands closed around his arm.

“Come on, ya gotta have somethin’. Don’t leave a brother hangin’.”

Jesse looked at the hand on his arm and then into JoJo’s eyes. “I said I ain’t got nothin’. I’m outta the business.” He jerked his arm free and continued on his way.

“Yeah, well, fuck you, dude!” JoJo called out. “Fuck you and your he-she bitch! Whoa, shit!” He startled when Jesse dropped what he was holding and stormed back to grab him by the throat and press his up against the building.

Jesse leaned in close, seething. “You can say what you want to me, but you ain’t sayin’ shit about Tina, you got that?” When JoJo’s head bobbed up and down, he added, “Now apologize to the lady.” When JoJo hesitated, Jesse tightened his grip.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” JoJo forced out with the last of his breath.

Jesse released JoJo but continued staring at the other man. “And if I ever hear’a you givin’ her any shit, I will come back and rip your throat out. Got. It?”

JoJo held his hands up in a placating manner as he slowly backed away. “Got it, dude.” He turned and hurried down the walkway towards the stairs and freedom.

Jesse watched the other man leave, then retrieved his bags and followed Tina into her room and put his bags next to hers on the dresser. He turned and slumped against it. “Sorry.”

Tina looked at him, surprised. “What are **you** sorry about?”

Jesse shrugged. “’M sorry he’s an asshole.”

Tina waved him off as she began unloading the bags. “That surely ain’t your fault, sugar. I blame it on bad upbringin’.” She smiled shyly. “it’s been a long time since a handsome man fought for my honor.”

Jesse looked down. “I used to be goodlookin’, but…” He was surprised when Tina captured his chin and made him meet her gaze.

“Sugar, you are the best lookin’ man I have seen in a long time.” Sensing the younger man’s awkwardness, she held out a stack of clothes. “Somethin’ in here has got to fit you.”

“Thanks.” Jesse went to the bed and dropped the stack before lifting a tee shirt off the top and shaking it out.

“Oh, and we didn’t discuss your unmentionables, but I take you to be a boxer man, am I right?” Tina tossed Jesse a plastic bag containing underwear.

“Right on! You’re the bomb.” Jesse broke open the package, took out a pair and quickly slid them on under his robe.

Tina busied herself emptying bags while Jesse got dressed. “I picked up some KFC, because I figured everybody likes KFC.” She threw Jesse a questioning look, smiling when he nodded. “Good. There used to be a really good Mexican chicken place, but I guess they went outta business.”

A shiver ran through Jesse at the thought of Los Pollos Hermanos. “Yeah, yeah, I heard a lotta places are havin’ trouble with the economy.”

“I don’t know nothin’g about the economy, but I sure do miss that chicken.” She carried the food and drinks over to the small table by the window and put everything down carefully, and then spread her hands. “Supper is served.”

“Great. Thanks, I’m starvin’.” Jesse hurried to the table and started to sit when he noticed Tina looking at him expectantly. Realizing what she was waiting for, he quickly got up and stood behind her chair, pushing it in when she sat down. “Sorry.”

Tina waved off the apology as she started opening small containers. “I wasn’t sure what you preferred for sides, so I got a little bit of everything.”

Jesse glanced around the table, feeling a little overwhelmed by all of his choices. “Uh, really, anything’s good. I’m not picky.” Unable to choose, he took a small spoonful of each and the first piece of chicken he saw.

Tina filled her plate and then cleared her throat. “I guess this is as good a time as any to talk about the elephant in the room.” Seeing Jesse glance furtively around, she bit back a smile. “It’s a sayin’, sugar. It means we should talk about the big thing that nobody wants to talk about.”

Jesse blinked. “Uh…”

“I’m talkin’ about what that jerk outside said, about me bein’ a he-she.”

Jesse waved off the thought. “Fuck him, he’s just a stupid douche anyway.”

“But it’s true.”

“I know.”

Tina blinked. “What?”

Jesse shrugged. “I woke up last night and you were spoonin’ me…” he shrugged again, “and I could feel your junk against my ass.” He looked into questioning brown eyes. “Could I have another biscuit?”

Tina broke out into a big smile. “Sugar, you can have all’a the biscuits you want.” She watched Jesse eat for a moment, then cleared her throat again.

Jesse looked up. “Somethin’ else?”

Tina gathered herself before saying, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I did not see a black El Camino anywhere in the parkin’ lot.”

“Huh, somebody must’a stolen it.” Jesse resumed eating. “It was a piece’a shit anyway.”

Tina watched Jesse in amusement, then shook her head and picked up her plastic fork to begin eating. “By the way, you look nice in your new clothes.”

Jesse smiled at Tina. “Thanks. You got good taste.”

“I like to think so.”

0 0 0

Lt. Estequez looked up when he heard a knock on his door. “Yeah?”

The desk sergeant stuck his head in. “Hey, Lieu, we just got an anonymous tip that Jesse Pinkman is over at the Crystal Palace, in Room 217. Want me to send a squad over?”

“Christ, for a dead man, that kid’s all over town. How many is this now?”

“Twelve? Thirteen?” the sergeant replied. “So, no on the squad?”

“No on the squad,” Estequez agreed. “But go ahead and give the message to Detective Roberts. He’s handling all of the Pinkman follow-ups.”

“Will do.”

Estequez watched the sergeant leave and then tipped back in his chair, wondering if Roberts was finding out anything new at the D.E.A. headquarters. He glanced at his watch, trying to decide if he could get away with leaving now. Looking at his stack of unfinished reports, he groaned, straightened his chair and got back to work.

0 0 0

Kim woke up feeling like she was suffocating. As she slowly became more coherent, she realized there was a heavy body slumped half across her. She shoved at it, but it barely budged. As bits and pieces of memories came back to her, she groaned and tried again. “Jimmy, get off!”

Jimmy snorted as he forced open his eyes. “Wha…?”

Kim shoved at him again. “You’re squashing me.”

Jimmy inhaled deeply, the realized what Kim was saying. “Oh, sorry.” He slid over to the unused side of the bed. He looked around for a clock. “Uh, what time is it?”

“It’s either really, really late, or really, really early,” Kim muttered, fanning herself with the top sheet.

Jimmy rubbed his aching head. “Did we drink enough water last night? I don’t feel like I drank enough…” He stopped talking when Kim’s hand slapped down over his mouth.

“I will bring you a gallon of water if you just stop talking right now.” When Jimmy nodded, she removed her hand and slowly sat up. She inhaled deeply and swallowed. “Huh. At least I don’t feel like I have to barf.”

“Oh god!” Saul shot out of bed with his hand over his mouth as he ran to the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself.

“Sorry,” Kim quietly called out, smiling. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and groaned. 4:23. Standing up, she went to the bathroom door. “Are you done? I really have to pee. Thanks.” She stepped inside when Saul opened the door and waved her in while he brushed his teeth. “I have to be at the office in about three hours,” she grumbled as she sat on the toilet and relieved herself.

“Call in sick,” Saul said around a mouthful of foam before leaning over and spitting it into the sink.

“I can’t.” Kim finished up, wiped and flushed, then edged in next to Saul at the sink to wash her hands and face. “We just submitted the final documentation on the Sandpiper case and I need to make sure everything goes smoothly.” She paused when he noticed that Saul had turned his full attention on her. “What?”

Saul shook his head. “Nothing. I’m glad you got to see it through to the end.” He turned and left the bathroom.

 _Shit._ Kim followed Saul into the bedroom and slipped on a large tee shirt while Saul put on his boxers. She climbed into her side of the bed while he got into his side. After he settled against his pillows, she cuddled in next to him and rested her head on his chest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s okay. It only hurts a little now, like when you drive a railroad spike through your foot.” Saul smiled when Kim snorted. “Seriously, though, if I had to turn that case over to any lawyer in the whole wide world, I’m glad you got it.” He nodded into Kim’s questioning gaze. “There’s no one else I trust more in a courtroom than you. After me, of course.”

“Of course.” Kim resettled her head on Saul’s chest. She took a deep breath. “Somehow, when I pictured our reunion sex, it was a lot less fuzzy around the edges.”

Saul smiled. “How about we consider this our consoling-each-other sex, and after I take you out to a nice dinner tonight, we can have that reunion sex?”

“Awfully sure of yourself there, aren’t you, counselor?” She smiled when strong arms wrapped around her. Listening to Saul’s heartbeat, she dozed off.

Saul stared off into space, listening as Kim’s breathing evened out, trying not to think about how much he missed Jesse.

He wasn’t very successful.

0 0 0

There was a loud boom of a door being kicked in, followed by, “Police! Freeze!”

Jesse sprung up in the bed, and looked around frantically, gasping for breath.

“Shush, sugar, it’s all right,” Tina soothed as she sat up next to him. “It’s down the hall.” She slowly reached out and placed a hand on his leg. “Poor baby, you’re shakin’ like a leaf in a storm.”

Jesse buried his face in his hands. “Fuck…”

“I don’t know how this place was when Wendy was here, but we get that sometimes two, three times a week.” She settled back against her pillow. “Makes it hard for a girl to get her beauty sleep, I tell you what.”

Jesse lowered his hands. “How come you stay here? You could do so much better than this shithole.”

Tina sighed. “A lot of folks don’t take kindly to my kind, so my options for accommodations are, shall we say, limited.”

“But I mean, why even stay here in the ABQ? You don’t sound like you’re from around here.”

“Well, that’s a long story, sugar. Let’s just leave it at I was headin’ for California when my… travelin’ companion left me here and took the car.”

“Man, that sucks. So now you’re, what? Tryin’ to save for a bus ticket?”

“I was at first, but then things kind’a fell into a routine…” Tina sighed. “You know how that goes.”

Jesse remembered something Mr. White had said to him once. “Inertia.”

Tina smiled wistfully. “Big word, but that about sums it up.” She shook off her thoughts. “Anyway, this place is fine for me.”

“That’s bullshit. You’re better than ninety-percent of the people livin’ in this shithole. I think you can do anything you wanna do.”

Tina smiled. “That’s ‘cause you got a good heart, sugar.”

Jesse shook his head. “No! No, I don’t. I’m a terrible person!”

Tina watched Jesse for a moment. “You might’ve done some terrible things, but you are not a terrible person.” She put a finger over the young man’s mouth when he started to argue. “Sugar, I have met some truly horrible people in my life, and I know you could never be one.”

Jesse swallowed. “Even if I told you I killed someone? Someone who was a really nice guy? That I just went up to his house, knocked and shot him in the face when he opened the door?”

_The pistol exploded and the bullet plunged into Gale’s face with a sickening squelch before blood shot out everywhere..._

Jesse squeezed his eyes shut.

_The pistol exploded and the bullet plunged into Gale’s face with a sickening squelch before blood shot out everywhere..._

Jesse’s mouth dropped open as his breathing became ragged.

_The pistol exploded and the bullet plunged into Gale’s face with a sickening squelch before blood shot out everywhere..._

Tina stared at the distraught man. “Sugar…?”

_The pistol exploded and the bullet plunged into Gale’s face with a sickening squelch before blood shot out everywhere..._

“Nonononono…”

Tina sat up. “Diesel? Look at me, sugar.”

_The pistol exploded and the bullet plunged into Gale’s face with a sickening squelch before blood shot out everywhere..._

Jesse’s hands shot up into his hair and he began yanking at the longish strands.

Tina reached to take Jesse’s hands in hers to stop the younger man from pulling out his own hair, tightening her grip when the younger man started struggling. “Baby, calm down.”

Jesse pulled at the hands holding him. “Get off’a me!”

Torn between pulling the struggling man into a tight embrace or releasing him, Tina loosened her grip. “You’re right here with me, baby. Ain’t nobody here but me and you. I promise, nobody is gonna hurt you.”

Tina soothing tone finally reached Jesse and he buried his face in his hands again. “I’m so fucked up.” He hesitated, then allowed Tina to gently pull him down until he was resting on her shoulder as she settled back against her pillow.

Tina slowly wrapped her arms around Jesse. “Ain’t we all, sugar. Ain’t we all.”

0 0 0

Kim dropped her purse and brief case onto the floor beside her desk before pulling out her chair and carefully sitting down. She put her coffee down, then reached up and slowly removed her sunglasses, opting to leave them on her desk instead of attempting to lean over to put them in her purse. _And this is why we don’t get drunk during the week_. She sighed, picked up her coffee and took a sip.

She took another sip as she looked over her desk, wondering where to begin, when the intercom buzzed, startling her. She pressed ‘talk’. “Yes?”

“Ms. Wexler, I know you just got in, but Mr. Hamlin and Mr. McGill wanted to see you first thing.”

Kim frowned, slightly confused. _Jimmy was sound asleep when I left; no way could he have beaten me here._ “Uh, Mr. McGill?”

There was a slight pause, and then, “Mr. Hamlin’s partner?”

“Oh, yes, of course. Sorry. Obviously I’m not completely awake yet.” She closed her mouth to stop further rambling. “I’ll be right over.”

“I’ll let them know.”

“Thanks.”

“Fuck…” Kim slumped forward and rested her face in her hands. _Just what I need._

After a moment, she inhaled deeply and sat up straight. “I can do this.” She picked up her coffee and took a few gulps, swearing and setting the cup back onto the desk when she felt something wet drip down her chin. Looking down on the spreading stain on her blouse, she quickly grabbed up some tissues and began blotting at it. “Son of a bitch…”

She gave the stain a couple more dabs, then wiped her chin. Tossing the soiled tissues into the trash and sighing when they hit the rim and fell onto the floor, she stood and slid her hands down her clothes to smooth them.

She took a couple of deep calming breaths and then walked to the door.

“Here goes nothing.”

She walked across the wide building and up a flight of stairs, smiling when she saw Howard’s secretary. “Hi, Doris.” She slipped off her watch and placed it in the small plastic box on Doris’ desk.

“Ms. Wexler. I’ll let them know you’re here.” Doris pressed a button and spoke briefly, then nodded at Kim. “You may go in.”

Kim walked to the large wooden door and paused long enough for another deep breath, then lightly rapped on it as she opened it and looked in.

“Kim, come in.”

Howard Hamlin and Charles “Chuck” McGill got to their feet and greeted Kim.

“Have a seat,” Howard directed as he and Chuck retook their previous seats. “You’re looking… well.”

Kim fought to keep the wince off her face, offering a small smile instead. “Thanks. You too.” She swallowed. “You wanted to see me?”

Chuck and Howard exchanged a glance before Chuck leaned slightly forward. “Kim, you are a true asset to HHM.”

Kim beamed. “Thank you.”

“Whenever a new partnership is coming available, your name is always bandied about.”

 _But never chosen_. Kim kept smiling. “I appreciate that.”

“Phil Edwards is going to retire before the end of the year.”

 _Oh shit, this is it!_ Kim tried to keep a neutral expression on her face. “I wasn’t aware Phil was retiring.”

“It came up rather suddenly.”

 _Huh, I wonder what he did to get canned._ Kim looked concerned. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Chuck waved a hand in dismissal. “No, nothing serious.” He smiled at Kim. “With Phil leaving, HHM will have an opening for a new partner.”

 _Me! Me!_ Kim looked at Chuck expectantly.

Chuck sat back, crossed his legs and put his hands into his lap. “I would love to say unequivocally that it will go to you.”

Kim tried desperately to keep the frown off her face. “Do you have concerns that I can address? Do you feel I’m not meeting HHM goals?”

“No, no,” Chuck assured. “Your work ethic is almost impeccable.” He studied Kim for a moment. “HHM is an old school law firm. We set our standards high and expect all of our employees to meet them.”

This time Kim couldn’t help but frown. “I don’t understand. What have I done wrong?”

“It’s nothing that you’ve done wrong, per se. Let’s just call it a lapse in judgement.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand. I have done my best to meet HHM standards…”

Chuck sighed. “Kim, how do you think it reflects on HHM when one of its attorneys is out getting drunk during the week?”

Kim’s mouth dropped open. “You aren’t serious.”

“I’m very serious. It’s actions like those that count against you when being considered for a partnership.”

Kim slowly shook her head. “I’m stunned. I mean, it’s not like every other lawyer in the firm, people in this room included, haven’t taken clients out for drinks during the week.”

Chuck fixed Kim with a pointed stare. “Yes, but you weren’t out with a client.”

Kim met Chuck’s gaze evenly. “And how, precisely, would anyone know that?”

Chuck waved a hand again. “That’s neither here nor there. The point is that you continue to make poor choices which, in turn, reflect badly on HHM.”

Kim bit her tongue and stood. “I will certainly consider your advice. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have work to do.” She glanced at Howard, who gave her a slight nod. She walked to the door and stopped, then opened it and left.

Grabbing up her watch, she slapped it onto her wrist. “Doris, if either Mr. Hamlin or Mr. McGill wish to speak with me again, please tell them I’ve left for the day.”

Doris looked vaguely surprised. “Shall I tell them why you left early?”

“Tell them…” Kim thought for a moment. “Tell them I have a lot to think about.”

Leaving behind a slightly bewildered secretary, Kim went to retrieve her purse from her office before heading to the parking garage, trying to force down the guilt she could feel rising in her chest and the self-loathing it brought with it.

0 0 0

 

Jesse inhaled deeply and opened his eyes. When he heard a quiet ‘tap…tap…tap…’ he realized the knocking had awoken him. “Tina?” When there was no response, he pushed himself up onto one elbow, groaning when he heard singing coming from the bathroom. He got up, grabbed his tee shirt and slipped it on as he went to the door. He pulled it open and froze then he saw the tall black man dressed in a suit on the other side. He dropped his head and raised his hands to waist level, wrists together.

Detective Roberts stared at Jesse open-mouthed before quickly regaining his composure. “I’ll be damned.”

Jesse waited a moment, then lifted his eyes to look at the other man. “Ain’t you gonna bust me?”

“Go in and get dressed,” Tim directed, motioning into the room. He followed Jesse inside and shut the door, glancing around. “Who else is here?”

“Tina’s in the shower.” Jesse looked up from where he was seated on the edge of the bed putting on his jeans. “Hey, she don’t know nothin’ about who I am, so don’t bust her, okay?”

“If she doesn’t know, then she doesn’t have anything to worry about.”

Jesse nodded as he fastened his pants. “Thanks.” He bent over and picked up his shoes and socks before settling on the bed again to put them on.

“Where have you been the last six months or so, Jesse?”

Jesse paused and frowned. “You don’t know?”

“I’d like to hear it from you.”

Jesse returned his attention to his footwear. “I was out at some warehouse outside’a town. They, uh, had me cookin’ for them.”

“Meth?”

Jesse nodded his head while keeping his gaze down.

“Jesse?” When the young man looked at him, Tim asked, “Were you the one they had in that underground cage?”

Jesse’s face crumpled as tears filled his eyes. He swallowed hard and nodded. He startled when there was a big commotion and he looked up to see that Tina had thrown something like a blanket over the detective and was now holding the cop in a tight embrace.

“Run, baby! Run!”

Jesse hesitated, dumb-struck, then instinct took over and he got up and ran out the door, ignoring the detective calling his name.

0 0 0

“What I can’t figure out, is how someone who can’t use electronics finds out stuff so fast. Is he telepathic?” Kim said, lifting a slice of bacon and taking a bite.

Saul winced. “How can you eat that?” He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip.

Kim smiled and took another bite. “You’re getting old, Jimmy.”

Saul ignored the jibe and took another sip before setting his cup down. “I’m beginning to think Chuck has some sensor that goes off if I come within a fifty-mile-radius of Albuquerque.”

Kim snorted. “Well, better that than telepathy, I guess.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” He studied the blonde for a moment. “So, what’s the next step?”

Kim rolled her eyes. “I have no fucking clue.”

“You know, they’ve been dangling that partnership carrot in front of you for a long time.”

“Yes, but don’t forget, I had to do penance for going out on my own for a while.”

“With me.”

“With you.” Kim popped the last bit of bacon into her mouth and wiped her face and hands with her napkin. She picked up her coffee and looked down into the cup. “You know what would go really good with this?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.

Saul looked at her dead-pan. “Don’t say it.”

Kim shrugged. “I’m just saying, you come all the way out here and you can’t even bring me…” She sat up and looked through the window when something caught her eye.

Saul followed her gaze. “What?”

“I could’ve sworn that was Jesse.”

Saul shot Kim a startled glance. “Kim…”

Kim stood up and shoved the check at Saul and said, “Pay this,” before she grabbed up her purse and hurried out the door.

“Kim!” Seeing he wasn’t going to stop her, Saul picked up the check and pulled out his wallet as he headed for the cashier, internally groaning when he saw the short line. He pulled out a twenty and smiled at the cashier as he slid the bill and check in front of the waiting customer. “Keep the change.” He nodded at the customer. “Have a nice day.”

He hurried to the exit and waked outside, stopping on the sidewalk and gazing one way and then the other, sighing when he had no idea in which direction Kim had gone. Deciding to get in the car and try to track her that way, he headed to the parking lot.

0 0 0

Tina sat demurely on the side of the bed, grateful she’d had time to dress and apply her make-up and wig before the police returned. She steeled herself, rose and went to the door when she heard quiet rapping. She opened it to reveal Detective Roberts. “Let me get my purse and I’ll go with you.”

“Just go… sit down for a minute,” Tim said, pointing to the small table. He followed her in and shut the door before taking the chair opposite her. “I forgot how fast that kid isHe’s gone.”

“I truly did not know you were an officer of the law when I…” Tina stopped.

“Accosted me?” Tim finished.

Tina nodded. “I just heard you talkin’ about cookin’ meth and I thought you were lookin’ to make Diesel get back into that business.”

“What do you know about him cooking meth?”

Tina shrugged. “Nothin’ really. It’s just one’a the boys down the hall asked him for his ‘primo product’ and Diesel told him he was out of the business.”

“Okay, what do you know about… Diesel?”

“Well, he just showed up at my door night before last, lookin’ like somethin’ the cat dragged in. He was lookin’ for a girl named Wendy. When I said she wasn’t here, he started to leave, but he just looked so lost that I couldn’t let him go.” She hesitated. “He looked and smelled like he hadn’t bathed for days, so I made him take a shower. He’s mostly just been sleepin’ since then.”

Seeing the hesitation in the other person, Tim prompted, “Anything else?”

“Whatever he’s been through? It has surely messed with that poor boy’s mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like he’s carryin’ the weight’a the world on those skinny little shoulders. He had nightmares and, what do you call it when you see things that aren’t there?”

“Hallucinations?”

“No, the other one. Flashbacks! That what it was. He got so lost up in his mind, he forgot where he was.” She shook her head. “Took what felt like ages to get him back again.”

Tim thought a minute, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “If he should come back…”

“I imagine he might, since he acted like he had no place else to go. Plus, I have all’a his earthly possessions.”

“Call me,” Tim directed.

“So you’re not gonna arrest me…” Tina picked up the card and read it, “Detective Tim Roberts?”

“Not this time.” Tim stood. “Please, call me if you see him. I really just want to help the kid.”

“I will.”

Tim nodded and left, then stopped a couple of doors down and tapped softly on the door.

The door opened a crack and JoJo peeked out. “Was he there?”

“He was but he’s gone now.”

JoJo pulled the door open wider. “Hey, that ain’t my fault, man. I called you guys yesterday.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tim slid his hand into his pocket and reluctantly pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and held it out to JoJo.

JoJo frowned at the money. “What? Only twenty? D.E.A. gives me fifty.”

“I’m not with the D.E.A.” Tim tapped two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute, then turned and left.

“Yeah, well, next time I’ll call them,” JoJo grumbled as he shut the door.

Tina eased back from the crack she’d made to peek through, shut her door and frowned. “I knew you was no good, but I didn’t know you was a snitch.”

She mentally filed that information away as she started tidying up her room, her mind wandering to Diesel and if she’d ever see him again.

0 0 0

Saul drove slowly down the street, almost slamming on his brakes when he finally spotted Kim standing halfway down an alley. He hastily pulled into a nearby parking space and got out of the car.

He squinted down the alley when it appeared that Kim was talking to someone who was hidden inside a recessed part of the building. He picked up his pace when Kim glanced at him, smiled and motioned for him to join her. He stopped next to her and froze when he saw Jesse. “Holy shi… Oof!” He braced himself when Jesse’s body smashed into his and slender arms wrapped around him.

“Dude, I thought you were dead!” Jesse murmured against Saul’s chest.

Saul wrapped his arms around the shaking man, frowning when he felt how thin Jesse was. “Likewise.” He gently took Jesse by the upper arms and pushed him back just enough to look into the younger man’s eyes, trying not to show how upset he was by the scars scattered across Jesse’s face. “Sweetheart, you are a sight for sore eyes.”

Jesse stepped onto his tiptoes to kiss Saul, then eased back and wrinkled his nose. “Dude, that porn ‘stache has gotta go.”

Saul shot Kim a glare when the blonde giggled, then turned his attention to Jesse. “One, it is not a porn ‘stache, and two, anyone who looks like Grizzly Adams has no room to speak.”

“Who?”

“How about we go home,” Kim suggested, moving closer to the two men and placing a hand on each one. “Then you two can both shave.”

Saul nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Yeah, I need to get off’a the street,” Jesse added. “The cops’re lookin’ for me.” He fell into step with Saul and smiled at Kim when he felt the blonde slip her arm around him. He slowed to a stop when Kim hesitated, unaware that Saul had stopped also.

“Did you hurt your leg?” Kim asked after noticing Jesse’s shuffling steps.

Jesse looked down. “No, uh…” He blinked back tears. “They, uh, had chains on my ankles.…” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I’ll try to do better.” He studied Kim for a moment before quietly saying, “Don’t be sad, they ain’t on me anymore.”

Kim forced a smile onto her face despite the heartbreak she felt. “Let’s go home.”

Saul inhaled deeply and swiped at his eyes as he finished the distance to the car. He opened the front passenger door. “Your chariot awaits.”

“No, you go ahead,” Jesse insisted when Kim led him to the open door. “I’m good in the back.”

Saul gave Kim a quick nod when she looked at him, then closed the door after she got into the car. He opened the rear door for Jesse. “Madam.”

“Dick,” Jesse muttered as he got in. He waited for Saul to get into the driver’s seat and start driving before asking, “What happened to your Caddy?”

Saul looked at Jesse in the rearview mirror. “I got rid of it when I moved.”

“Where’d you move to?”

“Omaha.”

Jesse frowned. “You mean, like, in Michigan?”

Saul and Kim exchanged amused glances. “Nebraska,” Saul corrected. “But basically the same thing.”

Jesse thought a moment. “So that’s why your office is empty.”

“Yep.” Saul glanced over his shoulder when he heard Jesse’s stomach growl. “When was the last time you ate, kiddo?”

“Yesterday, I think. Yeah, yesterday, Tina got KFC.”

Saul raised an eyebrow in the mirror. “Tina?”

Jesse stared out the window. “She let me stay with her. She’s really nice.” He sighed. “I hope she didn’t get busted.”

Seeing Saul about to speak, Kim cut in, “What do you want to eat, sweetie?”

“Mm, I’m not really hungry.”

Kim caught Saul’s eye and motioned towards an upcoming McDonalds.

Saul nodded and pulled into the drive-thru. He studied the menu, picking out a few of Jesse’s favorite things. When he placed his order, he paused and looked at Jesse. “Chocolate shake?”

Jesse hesitated before saying, “No, gimme a Coke please.”

Saul finished his order and pulled up to pay for it. When he got the bags, he handed them over the seat to Jesse.

Jesse took everything and frowned. “I thought I couldn’t eat in your car.”

Saul smiled as he pulled out into traffic. “It’s a rental, kid. Knock yourself out.”

0 0 0

Jesse was sound asleep in the backseat by the time they arrived at Kim’s house. She got out and opened the back door, carefully reaching in and taking the soda cup that was precariously perched on Jesse’s knee.

“You want me to get him?” Saul asked when he stopped next to her.

Kim raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to carry him?”

“No. But I could if I wanted to.” Saul bent forward and put his hands on his knees so he could see into the backseat. “Jesse? Come on, sleepyhead, we’re home.” He smiled into confused blue eyes when Jesse stirred and looked at him.

“Mmm, hey.” A small smile played on Jesse’s lips before he asked in a sleepy voice, “What’s with the porn ‘stache?”

Saul frowned as he automatically raised one hand to his upper lip. “I thought we already established it’s not a porn ‘stache.”

Jesse’s smile widened. “Just sayin’, you didn’t have it last time I saw you.”

Saul’s frown deepened “Yeah, I did.”

Jesse’s face scrunched up a little as he studied the other man. “Wait. Is time different where you are?”

Saul was slightly thrown by the question. “Yeah, it’s two hours later.”

Jesse blinked a couple of times. “Wow, that’s … random.” He inhaled deeply. “Mmm, I smell Mickey D’s.”

“That’s because it’s sitting in your lap. Let me grab that and you can get out.”

Jesse watched in fascination as Saul’s hand neared him, then freaked out when the other man’s appendage brushed his arm. “Uhhh!” He scrambled back as far as the seatbelt would let him as he cast terrified eyes on Saul. “You can’t touch me! You’re not supposed to do that!”

Saul held up his hands in a placating manner. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“None’a you ever touched me before!” He jerked his gaze towards Kim when the blonde stepped closer to the car. “What’re you doin’ here?”

Beginning to sense what was going on, Kim quietly said, “Jesse, we’re real.” She slowly put out her hand. “Here. Touch me.” She gave him an encouraging smile when the scared man gingerly poked her hand with one finger. “We’re at my house. We just found you a little while ago, do you remember?”

Jesse shook his head as he turned his attention to Saul. “You’re real?”

Saul smiled broadly. “Yeah, kid, as real as it gets.” He cautiously reached in and picked up the bags of food from Jesse’s lap and handed them to Kim before moving to help Jesse with his seatbelt. “So what say we go inside and relax, huh?”

Jesse nodded as he slowly exited the car. He looked at Saul, then threw his arms around the bigger man.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Saul soothed when he felt the thin body in his grasp shaking.

“No, it’s not okay,” Jesse sobbed. “It’s so not okay.”

0 0 0

Saul turned his head from side to side as he looked in the mirror. “You know, to do this right, we should go to a barber and get a hot lather shave.”

Jesse nodded. “Good idea. I’ll just tell him, yo, barber dude, can you trim me up so I don’t look like the picture of me they’re showin’ all over the news?”

Saul held his hands up. “Hey, it was just a suggestion. No need to get sarcastic.”

“I think you secretly don’t wanna get rid’a the porn ‘stache, is what I think.”

“I think you’re right,” Kim agreed from where she sat on the toilet.

Saul pointed at Kim. “Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery.”

Jesse looked confused. “What’s that even mean?”

“It means we’re right and he’s wrong,” Kim said, cutting off Saul’s response, smiling sweetly at the older man. “Here, prove us wrong.” She held a set of electric clippers out to Saul.

Jesse moved closer and took the clippers. “You said I could do it.”

Saul spread his hands. “Shave away, Master Pinkman.” He kept his gaze on Jesse’s face, enjoying the intense look of concentration the younger man got as he worked.

When Jesse was satisfied he had Saul’s moustache down to whiskers, he shut off the clippers and stood back to admire his work. “Hit that bitch with a razor and you’re all set.”

Saul raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were gonna do it.”

Jesse held up his hand, which was noticeably shaking. “I can if you want…”

“No, I got it. But first…” Saul held out his hand for the clippers, taking them when Jesse handed them over. He studied the young man’s face. “Hmm, this looks like it might take a while, so have a seat.” He patted the counter. “You want it all off, or shall I leave you a little stubble?”

Jesse settled on the counter and scratched his beard. “Take it down to the skin. I’m tired of this scraggly shit.”

Kim smiled. “Ooh, this is going to be exciting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you completely clean shaven before.”

Jesse closed his eyes and relaxed when Saul brought the clippers up to his face, letting the older man turn his head as needed to get to all of the hair on his face and neck.

When Saul finally finished, he turned off the clippers. “Hit that bitch with a razor and you’re all set.”

Jesse smirked at Saul, then looked down, brushing hairs from his shirt. “Jesus, it looks like somebody shaved a small dog.”

Saul reached up and patted Jesse’s head. “Who’s my good boy? You’re my good boy.”

Jesse shoved Saul’s hand away. “Dick.” He hesitated, then slowly twisted around to look at his reflection in the mirror, leaning in close and running a finger over his scars.

Saul and Kim exchanged sad glances, then Kim got up and moved in next to Jesse. “They have creams that can fade those.”

“What happened?” Saul asked quietly. “If you want to talk about it,” he quickly added when Jesse met his gaze in the mirror.

Jesse gave a little shrug. “Todd wanted to know what I told the D.E.A. I told him I made a confession tape and he wanted to know where it was. I was afraid he was gonna kill Mrs. Schrader, so I wouldn’t tell him.” He swallowed. “After he beat me up for a while, he got a knife and started cuttin’ me.” He paused and swallowed. “When he said he was gonna cut out my eye, I… lost it and told him.” He blinked back tears. “I hope he didn’t hurt her.”

“She’s fine,” Kim quickly assured. “I saw her with her sister at the courthouse a few weeks ago.”

Jesse buried his hands in his face and started crying. “Thank god.”

Kim looked between Saul and Jesse, then gently nudged Saul closer to the distraught man when she realized neither man was going to reach out to the other.

Taking his cue, Saul slowly slid his arms around Jesse, pulling him close when the young man grabbed onto him. He rested his chin on Jesse’s head. “You did good, kid. Better than I would have.”

Kim watched the scene before her, holding back her own tears. Feeling the two men needed a moment alone, she quietly said, “I’m going to go get the broom,” and left the bathroom. She stopped in the hall and slumped against the wall, covering her mouth with her hand as she let herself cry for the horrors Jesse had been subjected to.

0 0 0

Saul looked up from his scotch when Kim walked into the kitchen. “He asleep?”

Kim nodded. “He looks like he’s twelve when he’s clean shaven and sleeping.” She pulled a bottle of vodka from the freezer and a glass from the cupboard before pulling out a chair and sitting close to Saul. She poured herself a healthy amount and then raised her glass in a toast. “To all of those chicken shit motherfuckers. May they rot in hell.”

“Amen,” Saul agreed as he clinked his glass against Kim’s before downing his drink in one gulp. He held his glass out to Kim when the blonde began to refill her own. “Thanks.” He sipped the vodka before putting his glass onto the table. He tipped his head back and let out a long sigh. “Christ, I can’t believe I’ve been pissing and moaning about how bad I had it.”

Kim sipped her drink as she shook her head. “I never imagined anything like that would ever happen to someone I knew, let alone loved.”

“Six fucking months in a cage, chained up like an animal.” Saul absently rubbed his forehead. “If Walt wasn’t dead, I’d kill the prick myself.”

“Stand in line.” Kim finished her drink and put her glass down. “What are we going to do?”

“You know, I have seriously been considering setting up shop again, but now I can’t think of anything that I want more than getting that kid as far away from Albuquerque as we can get.”

“To Omaha?”

“Omaha, Paris, Timbuktu…” Saul shrugged. “Doesn’t matter as long as we’re all together.” He studied Kim for a moment before asking, “How about you? Are you coming with us?”

Kim exhaled sharply as she absently refilled her glass. “I know HHM is a dead end, but all of my contacts are here…”

“You mean all of the contacts that didn’t keep you in private practice so you had to go crawling back to HHM?”

Kim slumped into her chair. “I know. I know.” She got up and walked to the sink, resting her hands on the counter as she stared out the window into the night. “I’m scared, okay?”

Saul got up and stopped behind Kim, slipping his arms around her slender waist. “And you think I’m not?”

Kim leaned into Saul’s embrace. “What was it like? Starting over?”

“Horrible.” Saul tightened his arms. “But I had to do it by myself.” He smiled at Kim when she turned in his arms to face him.

Kim studied Saul for a minute, then traced the place where his moustache had been with her finger. “This is much nicer.”

Saul faked a pout. “Aw, you didn’t like my porn ‘stache either?”

Kim smiled. “No, and I think you gave me some whisker burn in a very tender place.”

“Well, maybe I’ll just have to kiss it and make it all better.”

Kim licked her lips. “Only seems fair.” On impulse, she rose up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. Pausing for just an instant as she searched the gaze watching her, she then kissed him again, this one much deeper and full of invitation.

Saul moaned into the kiss and tightened his arms around Kim, gently seeking entrance to her mouth with his tongue. He gasped when he felt a searching hand fondle his growing erection through his boxers. Taking that as his cue, he quickly stripped Kim of her sleep shorts and underwear before lifting her up to sit on the edge of the counter and shoving his own boxers down his thighs.

“Oh god yes,” Kim moaned as she spread her legs and pulled Saul to her, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she felt his cock begin to enter her. When he was completely encased in her wetness, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Oh… fuck… Kim…” Saul murmured between frantic kisses along the blonde’s jaw and neck, trying to control his thrusts to make their coupling last as long as possible.

Kim slid one hand down Saul’s firm chest and moved it to rest between them, gently rubbing her clit as she moved her hips against his. “Right there!” she encouraged, bucking faster. “Mmm almost... Yesss!”

Feeling Kim’s muscles tighten around him, Saul lost what little control he had and thrust into her faster until he grunted and climaxed, feeling almost dizzy with the release. “Ohfuckjesuschristholyshit,” he muttered, resting his chin on her shoulder while his heart beat slowed.

Kim smiled against Saul’s chest. “Yeah, what he said.” When he slowly pulled out of her, she eased her feet to the floor and stood on shaky legs.

Saul watched with curiosity as he pulled his boxers into place while Kim gathered up her discarded clothes and slipped them on. When his clothing was righted, he leaned against the counter and cleared his throat. He smiled at Kim when the blonde turned to look at him.

“So, uh, was that our reunion sex?”

Kim snorted as she pulled a cigarette from a nearby pack and lit it. She slumped beside Saul, letting him take a drag from her cigarette. “No, because you still owe me a nice dinner.” She took another drag and exhaled. “This was just … routine sex.”

“Ah, routine.” Saul nodded. “Glad to know my sexual prowess has reached the level of routine.” He smiled when Kim snickered and bumped his shoulder with hers.

“You know what I mean.” Kim finished her cigarette and ground it out in an ash tray before yawning and stretching. “We should get to bed. It sounds like we have a lot of planning to do tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.” Saul followed Kim from the kitchen, switching off the light, his mind already thinking ahead.

0 0 0

“Lemme out…”

Saul jerked awake at the sound of Jesse whimpering. Sitting up in bed, he tried to focus, frowning when he only saw Kim beside him.

“Must be on the floor,” Kim mumbled as she struggled to wake.

Saul got up and rounded the end of the bed, sighing when he saw Jesse huddled up against the nightstand, the young man digging at the furniture with his raw fingers. “Sweetheart, you’re okay,” he soothed as he slowly lowered himself into a crouch.

“Careful,” Kim warned from atop the bed.

Saul nodded, keeping his focus on Jesse while staying outside of the upset man’s reach. “Jesse? Sweetheart? Can you hear me? You’re safe here.”

_Todd held the knife closer to Jesse’s face and said, “Jesse, if you don’t tell me, I’m gonna hafta kill you.”_

Jesse slowly looked in Saul’s direction, his eyes widening in fear as he tried to jam himself further into the corner. “No! Get away!”

_Todd held the knife closer to Jesse’s face and said, “Jesse, if you don’t tell me, I’m gonna hafta kill you.”_

“Jesse, it’s all right. You’re safe.”

Jesse drew in ragged breaths as the watched the other man get closer. “Stay back!”

_Todd held the knife closer to Jesse’s face and said, “Jesse, if you don’t tell me, I’m gonna hafta kill you.”_

Jesse let out a guttural roar and plunged into Saul, sending both men to the floor, knocking the breath from the older man. Jesse pushed himself to his feet and ran for the open door, not sure where he was but knowing he needed to leave.

“No, go get him,” Saul demanded when Kim reached out to help him. He grimaced as he got to his feet and hurried after the blonde. He startled and quickened his steps when he heard a loud crash from the living room followed by Kim yelling Jesse’s name.

“Oh shit!” He pulled up short when he saw Jesse sprawled across the broken remains of the coffee table while Kim tried to calm the agitated man. He slowly moved to join the other two, trying to assess Jesse’s condition without spooking the younger man any more than he already was.

“Jesse, please, it’s all right,” Kim soothed, keeping her movements slow and deliberate.

Jesse put his hands over his face and started weeping. “I’m sorry. Please don’t tell dad. I didn’t mean to break it.”

Kim shot Saul a surprised look before turning her attention back to Jesse. “I won’t tell your dad, I promise.” She eased herself closer to Jesse. “Your dad will never know, okay?”

Jesse nodded and sniffled loudly as he lowered his hands and looked at Kim. “You look nice. Can I stay with you?”

“Of course.” Kim stood and reached down to Jesse. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go fix the cut on your leg and then we’ll go back to bed.”

“Can you kiss it and make it better?”

“You bet.” Kim shot Saul a sad smile as she led Jesse from the room.

Saul exhaled sharply and tried to calm his nerves, feeling completely out of his depth. He looked heavenward. “Can you give us a break?” He held up his hand with his thumb and forefinger about a half-inch apart. “Just a small one?” He raised his eyebrows “Please?”

0 0 0

Kim became aware of a warm body pressed up behind her as she slowly awoke, smiling when she recognized the feel of Saul’s large body. She allowed her body to gently slump against him as she started to drift off again. Sensing something amiss, she opened her eyes and blinked, her mouth dropping open when she realized the mattress space in front of her was empty. She began to untangle herself from Saul, sighing when he tightened his grip.

“Jimmy, I need to get up.”

Saul cracked open his eyes. “Hmm?”

“Jesse’s gone,” Kim said as she freed herself from Saul’s arms.

Saul sat up. “Gone?”

“I’m sure he’s just in the bathroom. Go back to sleep.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Saul said as he got out of bed and followed Kim, getting more anxious when he saw the bathroom was empty. He stopped short behind Kim when the blonde stopped in the doorway to the kitchen.

Jesse looked up from his bowl of cereal and waved a hand at the abandoned alcohol bottles and glasses. “Looks like somebody had a party without me.” He smirked. “Must’ve been some party; I saw the busted table in the livin’ room.” He raised an eyebrow at Saul. “Looks like somebody needs to lay off the Cinnabons.”

Kim giggled, then tried to stifle herself when she saw the indignant look on Saul’s face. “That’s not what happened,” she told Jesse as she went to the table and sat down. She blew Saul a kiss as the disgruntled man walked over to start the coffee.

Jesse took and bite and swallowed. “Yeah? So what happened?”

Kim studied Jesse for a minute. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

Kim glanced at Saul before returning her attention to Jesse. “You fell over the table last night.”

Jesse shook his head. “I think I’d remember wipin’ out on a table.”

Saul leaned against the counter. “What’s the last thing you remember doing last night?”

Jesse thought a moment. “You shaved me and Kim cut my hair.” He shrugged. “Then I took a shower and went to bed.” He frowned as he looked back and forth between Kim and Saul. “What’s goin’ on?”

“You had a nightmare,” Kim explained. “You ran out of the bedroom and tripped over the coffee table.”

Jesse’s frown deepened as he slowly shook his head in disbelief. “Why don’t I remember that?”

Saul walked to the table and pulled out a chair to sit close to Jesse. “You were probably still half asleep.”

Jesse put his face into his hands. “No, I think I’m nuts.”

Saul put his hand on Jesse’s arm. “You’re not nuts, sweetheart.”

Jesse dropped his hands and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I am. I keep seein’ shit, like people that ain’t there.” He turned tear-filled eyes on Kim. “Like when you were talkin’ to me in the alley yesterday, I’m pretty sure I saw Mr. White behind you.”

Saul tightened his grip. “I’m sure it’s just stress.”

Jesse shot Saul a pleading look. “Yeah?”

Saul nodded. “That’s why Kim and I think it would be good to get you away from here, from all of these horrible memories.”

“Would you like to go somewhere else, Jesse?”

Jesse looked sadly at Kim. “By myself?”

Kim got up and squatted next to Jesse. “No, sweetie, we would all go together.”

“Yeah?” Jesse looked hopefully between the other two people. “All of us?”

“Yeah, all of us,” Saul assured. “None of us want to be alone anymore.”

“Yeah, that’d be cool.” Jesse paused. “But I gotta go get my stuff from Tina’s first.” He bit his lower lip. “I hope she didn’t get busted.”

Kim got up, pulled out the adjacent chair and sat. “Why do you think she might’ve gotten arrested?”

Jesse rubbed his forehead. “She was in the shower and somebody knocked. I thought it might be one’a her johns, y’know? So I opened the door. But it was a cop.”

“A cop?” Saul asked, concerned. “Did he recognize you?”

Jesse nodded. “Big black guy. Detective. I’ve known him since high school.”

“Roberts,” Saul and Kim said in unison, looking at each other.

Saul returned his attention to Jesse. “So why aren’t you in jail?”

Jesse shrugged. “I dunno. I put my wrists out for the cuffs, but he told me to go back inside and get dressed. And then he was askin’ me questions like where was I for the last six months, shit like that.”

Kim leaned forward. “Then what happened?”

“Next thing I know, Tina was throwin’ a towel or something’ over his head and holdin’ onto him and tellin’ me to run. So I ran. And then I met you.”

Kim winced. “Yeah, Tina might’ve gotten arrested.”

“Not necessarily,” Saul interjected. “It’s possible the good detective didn’t want his buds to know he got taken down by a girl. I say we go by the hotel first.”

Kim stayed Jesse’s hand when the younger man started to put his spoon down. “How about we have coffee first?”

“Yeah, good idea,” Saul agreed, realizing Kim wanted to let Jesse finish eating. “I’ll get us coffee while you get us a couple of bowls?”

“Deal.” Kim stood up and gave the top of Jesse’s head a quick kiss before going to retrieve bowls and spoons for Saul and herself, glad Jesse seemed to be fine this morning.

0 0 0

Tina opened her door and broke into a big smile when she saw Jesse. “Oh, sugar, I didn’t hardly recognize you! Come in! Come in!” She took Jesse by the chin and turned his head from side to side. “Mm, mm, mm, look at how handsome you are all cleaned up.”

“I’m really glad you’re here. I was afraid you got busted, on account’a what you did to that cop.”

“I told him I didn’t know he was a cop and he seemed to buy it.” Tine hesitated. “Look, sugar, he told me to call him if you came back, so you best get your things and go.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m here for.” Jesse looked around.

Tina went to the closet and pulled Jesse’s satchel from the back of it. “I put your clothes in with your money.”

“Thanks.” Jesse put the heavy bag on the bed before stopping to study the tall woman. “What about you?”

Tina looked baffled. “What about me?”

“You can’t stay here.”

Tina waved him off. “Oh, sugar, I’ll be fine.”

“No, you can’t stay here. I know!” Jesse unzipped his satchel and pulled out his clothes, then reached in and grabbed a bundle of cash. “Here!”

“No, sugar. I already told you I don’t want your money.”

“But I want you to have it. Take it and get outta here. Go to California like you were plannin’ on doin’. I got a car downstairs. We can take you to the bus station right now.”

Tina shook her head. “I can’t just leave…”

“Why not?” Jesse demanded. “What’s keepin’ you here besides, uh… inertia?” He looked around. “You got a suitcase?”

“No, Felipe took it with the car.”

Jesse put down the money he was holding, then picked up his satchel and upended it on the bed. “Then take this one.”

“My stuff won’t fit in there…”

“Just take the shit you really need.” Jesse picked up the discarded cash and held it. “There’s a hundred large here. You can buy whatever you want with this.” When Tina hesitated, Jesse looked at her forlornly. “Please? I just gotta know you’re safe when I go.”

Tina took a deep breath. “All right. I’m gonna do this.” She hurried around the room collecting the few things she really wanted to keep, putting them into the satchel when she finished.

Jesse saw Tina start to pack the blue satin robe she had let him wear. “Uh…”

Tina looked at Jesse questioningly, then followed his gaze to the robe. “Here, sugar, you take this. It’s not really my color anyway.”

“Thanks.” Jesse dropped his gaze as his cheeks reddened.

Tina smiled and pulled a few bills from the stack Jesse gave her to put into her purse before putting the rest into the satchel and burying it under more clothing. “Oh! There’s a couple’a shoppin’ bags at the far end of the closet you can put your things into. No, not those cheap plastic ones, the heavy paper ones.”

“Cool!” Jesse got the bags and stuffed his money and clothes into them before looking at Tina. “All set?”

Tina cast a final glance around the room, before giving a nod of her head. “Yes, I am.” She started to pick up the satchel, then paused and pulled Jesse into a tight embrace. “Sugar, you are my guardian angel.”

When Tina released him, Jesse smiled at her. “Nah, I’m just a guy payin’ it forward.” He picked up his bags and started to follow Tina to the door.

“I have to stop by the office and dropped off my key.”

“You can just leave it on the table,” Jesse suggested, wanting to get out of the motel.

Tina shrugged. “Okay.” She dropped the key on the table and followed Jesse out the door, hurrying to keep up with the younger man when she noticed his quick pace.

0 0 0

Saul sighed when he saw Jesse coming down the final steps. “Finally.” He got out of the car, doing a double-take when he saw who was trailing after Jesse. “Hey, Tina!” He opened the trunk and reached out to take Tina’s bag while Jesse tossed his two bags into the car.

“Saul Goodman, as I live and breathe,” Tina said, letting the other man take her bag and put it in the trunk.

“Yeah, let’s catch up in the car,” Jesse directed, slamming down the trunk lid.

Saul frowned at Jesse, but turned it into a smile when he looked at Tina. “You’re coming with us?”

“Diesel was kind enough to offer me a ride to the bus station. If it’s an inconvenience…”

“No, it’s not,” Jesse said as he jerked open the back passenger door and waved for Tina to get in. Once she was settled, he closed the door and went around the other side, giving Saul a gentle shove. “Let’s get outta here.”

Unsure of what had gotten Jesse spooked, Saul climbed into the driver’s seat as Jesse got into the back. He started the engine, backed out of the space and was almost to the street when three black SUVs came screeching into the parking lot.

“Oh, Lordy, get down, sugar,” Tina told Jesse when she saw the initials ‘D.E.A.’ on the cars, putting her hand on his head and pushing it down. Instead of bending over, Jesse slid through the seatbelt and folded himself into a tiny ball on the floor.

“Everyone keep calm,” Saul said as he waited for the cars to pass, noting the stares they were getting. He then pulled onto the street and drove away. When they were several blocks away, he exhaled. “Okay, I think we’re good.”

Kim glanced over her shoulder into the backseat, frowning when she saw Jesse’s seat empty. “Where…?” she started to ask, smiling when Tina pointed down to the floor.

Saul looked into the rearview mirror. “Okay, kid, you can get up now.”

“I kinda like it down here.”

“Come on, sugar, up you go.” Tina reached down and helped Jesse untangle himself. “Good thing you’re flexible.”

“One of the many things I love about him,” Saul quipped, grimacing when Kim smacked his arm.

“Hit him again,” Jesse mumbled as he slowly climbed up onto the seat, smiling when he heard another smack.

Kim pulled down her visor and opened the mirror to look at Tina. “Hi, I’m Kim Wexler.”

Tina smiled at the blonde. “Hi, Kim. You can call me Tina.” She turned her attention to Jesse when the young man finally got settled on the seat. “Is that why you were so antsy in the room?”

Jesse shrugged. “I guess. I dunno. I’ve always had this weird, uh, what do you call it? Sixth sense thing about cops. That’s how I was able to cook and deal for so long without gettingettin' busted.”

“I’ll bet it was that little weasel down the hall that called them.” Seeing Jesse’s questioning look, Tinashe added, “That man you lit into?”

“JoJo?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. After you left, I saw him talkin’ to that cop and they argued and he told the cop next time he was callin’ the D.E.A.” She huffed out her breath as she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Some people.”

“Hey, all’s well that ends well, I always say,” Saul said. “Now, what was this about the bus station?” He looked at Tina in the rearview mirror. “Are you off to follow your dreams to Hollywood, Miss Tina?”

“No, I think I might head to Frisco instead. I always wanted to see the Golden Gate bridge and ride those littlee cable cars right up to the stars.”

Jesse groaned. “No, god, don’t…” He buried his face in his hands when Saul began crooning “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” but lifted it again when Tina joined it. He smiled when Kim looked back and winked at him, then settled back into his seat and let his mind drift.

0 0 0

Saul put some chili cheese fries in his mouth and licked his fingers. After he chewed and swallowed, he said, “Okay, so no place that has a desert.”

Jesse looked at the map they had spread out on the table as Kim drew a big red ‘X’ over the southwest. “Not a huge city.”

Saul looked at Jesse. “And by huge, you mean…?”

Jesse shrugged. “I dunno. Just not wall-to-wall people.”

“Okay, we’ll cross Calcutta off the list.”

“Jimmy…” Kim took a sip of her Diet Coke. “I’d rather not live in a big city either. So, no New York or Los Angeles.” She crossed then off. “I don’t think I want to live in the Pacific Northwest either. Not enough sunshine.” She looked from one man to the other. When neither objected, she crossed it off.

“Okay, it looks like we’re looking east of the Rockies.”

Jesse studied the map. “What about Omaha? Where’s that at?”

Kim squinted, then drew a small circle on the Nebraska/Iowa border. “Right there.” She looked at Saul. ‘What do you think?”

Saul shrugged. “Well, you grew up around there, so you know what it’s like. Certainly not the most hopping place in the country, but it’s not bad. Pretty much your typical Mid-West city.”

Jesse scrunched up his face. “What does that mean?”

Kim reached out and patted Jesse’s hand. “It’s nice. Four real seasons. People are friendly. Everything’s green. Mostly flat farmland.”

“Sounds cool. Why don’t we just go there?”

Kim shot Saul a questioning glance. He shrugged. “Well, I do have a condo there already. We’ll probably want to find something bigger fairly soon, but it should do for now.”

Kim smiled. “Okay, it looks like we have a destination, now we just need to work out the details.”

“Details?” Jesse asked. “Why don’t we just throw our junk in the car and go?”

“Well, for one, I need to quit my job,” Kim explained.

Saul pointed at Jesse. “And we need to set you up with a new identity.” He shifted his gaze to Kim. “How about you? You want the whole experience?”

“No, I think I’m good.”

Saul’s eyes sparkled. “You sure? Your inner Gizelle St. Claire isn’t begging to get out?”

Kim matched Saul’s smile. “Oh, she’ll still get out, but only for special occasions.”

“Okay, you guys are startin' to freak me out, so I’m gonna go get my stuff outta the car.” Jesse picked up the keys and went out to retrieve his bags.

“What’ve you got?” Saul asked when Jesse returned with his two shopping bags.

Jesse put the bags on his chair, then made quick work of clearing the trash from their take-out lunch from the table. He returned to his bags and carefully lifted out his clothes and set them aside before upturning the bags and scattering the bundles of money all across the table.

“Jesus!” Saul put his hands up to the side of the table to keep money from falling off.

“Holy cow!” Kim stared at the money wide-eyed. “Where’d you get this?”

“Todd’s car.” Jesse sat down and started stacking the bundles. “Must’a been from his last exchange with Lydia.”

Saul started stacking bundles too. “Christ, there must be a couple of million bucks here.”

Jesse snorted as he kept stacking. “Better be way more than that or that asshole was really gettin' fucked by that bitch.”

Kim looked at Jesse. “This is from the meth you were cooking for them?”

“Yeah. So I guess you could say I earned every penny of it.”

Saul picked up a bundle. “These are mostly hundreds.” He looked at Jesse. “Were you guys always making this much?”

“Nah.” Jesse stacked a couple of bundles. “This is from me cookin’ fourteen, sixteen hours a day and Lydia sendin’ it to Europe. I heard her tell Todd they were willin’ to pay top dollar for Heisenberg blue.” He huffed out a breath. “Only I guess they paid it for Pinkman blue instead.” He inhaled deeply and smiled at Kim and Saul. “Yo, these Benjis ain’t gonna count themselves, so let’s get stackin’!”

0 0 0

Kim placed her last few personal items into the cardboard box before looking around her office. She turned to the door when she heard a quiet knock. “Yeah?”

The door opened and Howard stuck his head in, frowning when he saw the filled box on Kim’s desk. He stepped inside and shut the door. “You aren’t serious?”

“Yep, I’m pretty serious.”

“You can’t just quit without giving any notice. Come on, Kim, I’d expect something like this from Jimmy, but not you. You’re too professional for this.”

Kim leaned against a small credenza at the back of her office. “Maybe Jimmy was right, Howard. Maybe as long as Chuck is making the rules, neither Jimmy nor I ever stood a chance at HHM. Him for being Jimmy, and me for being Jimmy’s friend.”

“Now, come on, Kim. It hasn’t been that bad. We put you through law school.” He waved his hand around. “You have a nice office. We gave you a lot, Kim.”

Kim’s eyes flashed. “You gave me shit, Howard! Every goddamn time Chuck got his panties in a twist, I was the one that got screwed over. How many hours have I spent in that shithole of a basement going through reams of paperwork like a goddamn law clerk? Huh? How many, Howard? And I sure as hell never saw any of the male lawyers down there.”

“I’m sorry if you felt that way, but it was never our intention…”

“Oh screw your intention, Howard.” Kim rubbed her forehead. “Look, I’m sorry. Obviously we have very different points of view on this matter. And I do appreciate that you put me through law school. But I think I’ve more than paid back that debt with all of the hundreds of late hours I’ve put in.”

Howard studied the distraught woman. “You don’t have to quit, Kim. We can give you an indeterminate leave of absence.”

Kim inhaled deeply and moved to her desk. “I could stay, Howard.” She picked up her box. “But I’d never respect myself in the morning.” She stopped in front of the silent man. “Give my love to Chuck, would you?”

Howard watched as the blonde opened the door. “You’re making a big mistake, Kim.”

Kim regarded Howard for a moment. “I don’t think so. In fact, I’ve never been more sure of myself than I am right now.” She left her office for the last time, her heart pounding in her chest as she pressed the ‘down’ button and waited for the elevator.

“Hey, Ernie,” she greeted when the doors finally slid open.

Ernie reached out to take the box from Kim. “Then it’s true? You’re really leavin?”

Kim slumped against the back of the elevator. “Yep, it’s true. And yep, I’m leaving.”

“Then you gotta come down to the mailroom, cuz Charlotte went and got a cake from Costco and Millie picked up a bottle of Jack Daniels.” When he saw Kim hesitate, he put on his most charming smile. “Please, Ms. Wexler? Just stop by for a minute. Just to say good-bye to everybody?”

Kim finally succumbed to the young man’s charms. “Okay, but just one drink, Ernie, and then I have to go.”

“One drink. You got it.”

0 0 0

“You know, this isn’t usually how I handle this,” Ed said as he led Saul and Jesse into his vacuum repair shop.

Saul nodded. “I know. But he only needs the paperwork. We’re gonna handle everything else.”

“I won’t be able to guarantee anything,”

“Yeah, that’s okay.”

Ed looked at Jesse. “Go stand over there in front of that blue screen.” He adjusted the camera as the young man complied.

“And you’ll photoshop out the scars?” Saul asked quietly.

“I’ll do what I can. Hold still,” Ed directed Jesse, then snapped the photo. He returned his attention to Saul. “Same address as you, right?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at Jesse when the younger man moved closer.

Seeing the name on the Nebraska license, Jesse said, “No.”

Ed shot Jesse a questioning look. “Beg pardon?”

“I don’t want Jacob,” Jesse insisted. “That’s my brother’s name.”

“Fair enough. How about Jarrod? Jarrod Joshua Walker.” Seeing the young man frown, he sighed. “Look, kid, I don’t have a lot of choices here.”

“Why can’t I just keep my name?”

“Because your name has been all over the national news,” Saul reminded. “Jarrod’s fine. Or you can go by Josh.”

“Or just go by your initials. Whatever. That’s your name, and I’ll have your new license in about twenty minutes.”

Jesse looked over the older man’s shoulder. “Yo, that’s not my birthday.”

“No, but it’s Jarrod’s birthday.”

“Oh, hey, let’s wait over here,” Saul suggested when Ed shot him an exasperated look. “I know this is weird, but think of it as a reset button on your life, okay?”

Jesse frowned. “But I don’t know how to be anybody but me.”

Saul thought a moment. “You know, before I was Saul Goodman, I was Jimmy McGill.” He shrugged. “And now I’m Gene Taylor.”

“You’ll always be Saul Goodman to me.”

“Yeah, and I don’t know that we’ve seen the last of him.” Saul smiled. “But maybe Gene Taylor isn’t so bad.”

“’Specially since he got rid’a that whack porn ‘stache.”

Saul grabbed Jesse by the upper arms and pulled him close to place a kiss on his forehead. “Don’t ever change, kid.”

Jesse thought a moment. “So, who do you think this Jarrod Walker guy is?”

“I don’t know. But I think I’m gonna enjoy finding out.”

Jesse lightly butted Saul’s chest with his head. “Come on, Gene. Let’s see if he’s done with my license yet.”

0 0 0

“Here you go, kid,” Saul handed Jesse a can of Coke before dropping down next to him on the sofa. “Well, between your fat stacks and Kim’s go bag, minus what we paid Ed, we’ve got almost eleven mill in cash on hand.” He smirked as Jesse. “I’d say we’re good.”

“Yeah.” Jesse took a sip. He studied Saul for a moment, then put his drink down on the side table and slowly moved over the sofa until he was straddling the bigger man’s lap.

Saul smiled. “Well, hello there. Something I can do for you?”

Jesse closed his eyes and started rubbing his cheek against Saul’s. “You smell so good.” He began nibbling on Saul’s ear. “Mm, you taste good too.” He pulled back far enough to look into Saul’s face before pressing his lips against his lover’s.

Saul slid his hands into Jesse’s hair and gently tilted the younger man’s head just enough so he could deepen their kiss. “Oh god, kid,” he whispered between kisses, “I’ve missed this so much.” He followed Jesse when the smaller man began to pull away. “Wha…?”

Jesse swallowed. “Sorry, I… it hurts to sit like that.”

Saul smiled. “I’ve got an easy solution for that.” He shifted around to ease Jesse down onto the sofa while he rearranged himself on top of the smaller man. “Better?”

Jesse nodded and settled himself under Saul’s weight, closing his eyes and moaning when the older man began nuzzling his neck. He spread his legs to make more room for his lover, tensing when he felt Saul’s erection against his thigh.

Sensing the change in Jesse’s demeanor, Saul hesitated and raised himself up slightly on his elbow. “Everything okay?”

Jesse jerked his head up and down while he gasped for breath. He smiled as he pulled Saul’s head down for a hungry kiss, moaning into the other man’s mouth and thrusting his hips up to meet Saul’s.

“Uhn… fuck, kid, you’re gonna make me cum in my pants.” Saul thrust a couple of more times until something filtered through his sex-rattled brain and he stopped.

“What? Don’t stop!” Jesse frowned at Saul, then he tried to twist away when he saw the older man reaching towards Jesse’s groin. “Don’t touch me! No!” He grabbed Saul by the upper arms when he felt the bigger man begin to pull away.

Saul paused and studied Jesse. “Kid, I feel like I’m getting really mixed signals here.” When Jesse only looked away in response, Saul sighed and untangled himself from Jesse before sitting on the edge of the sofa.

Jesse raised up on his elbow. “Why’d you stop?”

Saul looked at Jesse, shocked by the question. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t feel like raping my… Uh…”

Jesse frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Your what?”

Saul hesitated before forcing out, “Boyfriend?”

Jesse pulled his legs up and moved around until he was sitting next to Saul. “Fuck. What’re we even doin’, dude?”

Saul frowned. “What do you mean?”

“This.” Jesse motioned between them. Before he could continue, he and Saul looked towards the door when they heard it being unlocked before Kim pushed it open and came in carrying several bags.

Kim kicked the door closed and stared deadpan at the two men. “No, really, don’t get up. I’ve got it.” When she saw their serious expressions, she slumped and let her bags slide to the floor. “What’s going on?” When both men glanced at each other and then dropped their gazes, she let out a long sigh. “Please tell me you two weren’t attempting to discuss something significant without me.” When neither man met her gaze, she walked over and stopped in front of them. “Not relationship stuff?” When they still wouldn’t look at her, she muttered, “Oh my god!” as she started pacing. “How many times do we have to go over this? The emotionally stunted men are not allowed to discuss the relationship without the rational woman present.”

“He started it,” Jesse mumbled, pointing his thumb at Saul.

Saul shot Jesse a startled look. “Me? I was minding my own business when you… glommed all over me.”

Jesse reared back in indignation. “Glommed? I was kissin’ you, dude. You’re the one that freaked out and stopped.”

“Well, excuse me for thinking you weren’t really in the mood when you hadn’t even gotten it up.”

Kim shut her eyes. “Guys…”

Jesse sprang to his feet. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, when did you get so fuckin’ considerate? I remember when you’d just bend me over your desk and fuck me whenever you felt like it.”

“Guys…”

Saul stood up. “Yeah, well back then, you weren’t two seconds away from a panic attack!”

“Guys!” When both men finally looked at her, Kim cleared her throat. “Sit down.” When they complied, she said, “None of us are at our best right now, so we have to be willing to cut each other a whole lot of slack. We’ve been apart for a long time, so it’s going to take time to get back into any semblance of a functioning relationship.”

Jesse picked at the skin on his thumb as he quietly asked, “Did we ever have one?” He looked at Kim when the blonde sat down beside him.

Kim took Jesse’s hand in hers. “Do you think we didn’t?”

Jesse sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Fuck, I dunno. I can’t remember when anything seemed to be functioning.”

“I thought we had a pretty good thing going,” Saul interjected. “I mean, sure, it took some work, but for a while it seemed like we were all getting along.”

“I never thought it would work,” Kim admitted. “But it did. That is, once each of us figured out where we fit into the whole weird puzzle.”

Jesse shrugged. “Yeah, I can remember some fun stuff, now that I really think about it.” His face fell and his eyes filled with tears. “But it never lasts,” he forced out between sobs. “Every time I think I got somebody, somethin’ happens. They leave, or… die!” He turned more towards Saul, burying his face in the bigger man’s shoulder as he wept openly.

Kim rubbed Jesse’s back. “What you’ve been through was awful. But most people never have to deal with anything like that.”

Jesse sniffed. “What? Like normal people?”

Saul kissed the top of Jesse’s head. “No, like people who aren’t mixed up with psychotic criminals.”

Jesse pulled back and looked up at Saul. “So you think we’ll be okay in Omaha?”

Saul smiled and wiped the tears from Jesse’s cheeks. “Yeah, I think we got a pretty good shot at it.”

Kim stood up. “Looks like my work here is done.” She shook her head. “Men.” She smiled and leaned down to kiss each of them on the head. “You two stay right there. I’m going to go pick out a few of my favorite clothes, because, in case either of you have forgotten, we have a fourteen-hour drive ahead of us tomorrow.” She paused when Jesse’s hand closed around her wrist.

Jesse kissed Kim’s hand. “You’re the bomb.”

Kim lightly punched Jesse in the arm. “You ain’t half-bad yourself, kiddo.” She winked at Saul before heading towards the bedroom, making a quick mental list of things she needed to get done before they left.

Next: Omaha

**Author's Note:**

> Since watching Breaking Bad, I have been a fan of the Saul/Jesse ship. After watching Better Call Saul and seeing Jimmy/Kim, I thought, Hmmm... What would happen if the three of them got together? This is the result of that thought.This has been read and proofed several times, but there will undoubtedly still be a stray mistake or two. I hope you enjoy it.


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